Celtic captain Callum McGregor lifted the first, of hopefully many, trophy of the 2024/25 campaign on Sunday after his side won the League Cup final on penalties against Rangers.
After a 3-3 draw in regulation time, the Hoops kept their cool from the spot to win 5-4 in the shoot-out, winning the competition that they failed to secure last season.
There was no space in the matchday squad, despite Luke McCowan being ineligible to feature, for any academy players to experience being around a trophy-winning team.
Brendan Rodgers has a few promising young talents coming through the ranks at B team level, though, and one of them is in-demand centre-forward Daniel Cummings.
Daniel Cummings' goal record for Celtic this season
The 17-year-old striker has been in phenomenal form for the academy side this season, with a return of 23 goals in 23 matches in all competitions.
17 of those goals have come in his 16 Lowland League outings, and he has also found the back of the net six times in six UEFA Youth League games, which speaks to how ruthless the teenage whiz has been in front of goal.
Despite his impressive form, Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph recently claimed that the club have not offered him an extension on his contract, which is due to expire at the end of the season.
The reporter added that Club Brugge, Bologna, and RB Salzburg, along with unnamed Premier League sides, are interested in snapping up the Scottish talent, with his future at Parkhead up in the air.
In The Pipeline
Football FanCast's In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.
With Cummings potentially on his way out of the door, Rodgers could look to another B team gem to be the next superstar to come out of the academy – Mitchel Frame.
Why Mitchel Frame could be the academy's next poster boy
Unlike the Scottish centre-forward, Frame has already made his first-team debut and played in the Champions League, with his bow coming under Rodgers in the 2023/24 campaign.
The teenager, who McGregor claimed has a “great future” after his debut, came on for the final 15 minutes against Feyenoord last season and won two of his three duels in the match, as well as winning the corner from which Gustaf Lagerbielke scored the winning goal.
This suggests that Rodgers does see the youngster as a player for the future because he was willing to trust him in a Champions League match at the age of 17.
Frame has been a regular for the B team this season, with one goal and two assists in 24 matches across all competitions, and is a current Scotland U19 international, which shows that the teenage whiz is still developing and pushing for a first-team spot.
Francis Turley
18
1
Alex Valle
20
6
Arne Engels
21
12
Odin Thiago Holm
21
3
Hyun-jun Yang
22
6
As you can see in the table above, Rodgers has not played too much trust in young players for Celtic this season, with no player under the age of 23 having more than 12 league appearances, and Arne Engels the only one with more than six outings.
This means that there should not be any panic that Frame has not established himself in the first-team yet, as he is only 18 and has plenty of time left to develop and force his way into the team.
McGregor believes that he has a great future and his Champions League debut, as well as his consistent game time for the B team and his country at youth level, suggests the potential is there for him to step up and emerge as the next academy superstar.
Celtic star "just secured his departure" with 5/10 cup final showing
The Celtic defender endured a difficult afternoon in the League Cup final against Rangers.
ByDan EmeryDec 16, 2024
